Anxiety about the outcome of Tuesday’s Presidential Election is high for everyone. At such a time, history can often provide some context. Here are the results of each Presidential Election since 1972:

1972 – Richard M. Nixon. Nationally, Republican incumbent Richard M. Nixon (520 electoral votes/47,168,710 votes) defeated Democrat George McGovern (17 electoral votes/29,173,22 votes). In Massachusetts, McGovern (1,332,540 with 23,592 in Lowell) defeated Nixon (1,112,078 with 15,259 in Lowell). McGovern’s running mate was Sargent Shriver. Nixon’s running mate was Spiro Agnew.

1976 – Jimmy Carter. Nationally, Democrat Jimmy Carter (297 electoral votes/40,831,881 votes) defeated Republican Gerald Ford (240 electoral votes/39,148,634 votes). In Massachusetts, Carter (1,429,475 with 24,609 in Lowell) defeated Ford (1,030,276 with 11,328 in Lowell). Carter’s running mate was Walter Mondale. Ford’s running mate was Bob Dole.

1980 – Ronald W. Reagan. Nationally, Republican Ronald W. Reagan (489 electoral votes/43,903,230 votes) defeated Democratic incumbent Jimmy Carter (49 electoral votes/35,480,115 votes) and Independent candidate John B. Anderson (0 electoral votes/5,719,850 votes). In Massachusetts, Reagan (1,057,631 with 12,668 in Lowell) defeated Carter (1,053,802 with 16,353 in Lowell) and Anderson (382,539 with 3,791 in Lowell). Reagan’s running mate was George H. W. Bush. Carter’s running mate was Walter F. Mondale. Anderson’s running mate was Patrick J. Lucey.

1984 – Ronald W. Reagan. Nationally, Republican incumbent Ronald W. Reagan (525 electoral votes/54,455,472 votes) defeated Democrat Walter Mondale (13 electoral votes/37,577,352 votes). In Massachusetts, Reagan (1,310,936 with 16,834 in Lowell) defeated Mondale (1,239,606 with 15,042 in Lowell). Reagan’s running mate was George H. W. Bush. Mondale’s running mate was Geraldine Ferraro.

1988 – George H. W. Bush. Nationally, Republican George H. W. Bush (426 electoral votes/48,886,597 votes) defeated Democrat Michael S. Dukakis (111 electoral votes/41,809,074). In Massachusetts, Dukakis (1,401,415 with 16,391 in Lowell) defeated Bush (1,194,635 with 13,998 in Lowell). Bush’s running mate was Dan Quayle. Dukakis’s running mate was Lloyd Bentsen.

1992 – Bill Clinton. Nationally, Democrat Bill Clinton (370 electoral votes/44,909,889 votes) defeated Republican incumbent George H. W. Bush (168 electoral votes/39,104,550 votes) and Independent Ross Perot (0 electoral votes/19,743,821 votes). In Massachusetts, Clinton (1,318,662 with 14,492 votes in Lowell) defeated Bush (805,049 with 12,653 votes in Lowell). Clinton’s running mate was Al Gore. Bush’s running mate was Dan Quayle. Perot’s running mate was James Stockdale.

1996 – Bill Clinton. Nationally, Democratic incumbent Bill Clinton (379 electoral votes/47,401,185 votes) defeated Republican Bob Dole (159 electoral votes/39,197,469 votes) and Reform Party candidate Ross Perot (0 electoral votes/8,085,294 votes). In Massachusetts, Clinton (1,571,763 with 16,912 in Lowell) defeated Dole (718,107 with 5,896 in Lowell) and Perot (227,217 with 2,911 in Lowell). Clinton’s running mate was Al Gore. Dole’s running mate was Jack Kemp. Perot’s running mate was Pat Choate.

2000 – George W. Bush. Nationally, Republican George W. Bush (271 electoral votes/50,456,002 votes) defeated Democrat Al Gore (266 electoral votes/50,999,897 votes). In Massachusetts, Gore (1,616,487 with 17,554 in Lowell) defeated Bush (878,502 with 7,790 in Lowell). Bush’s running mate was Dick Cheney. Gore’s running mate was Joe Lieberman. [On election night, it was unclear who had won Florida. There was a recount followed by a month of legal battles which ended on December 12, 2000 when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled by a 5 to 4 vote to halt the hand recount in Florida. This left Bush 537 votes ahead in Florida and made him President.]

2004 – George W. Bush. Nationally, Republican incumbent George W. Bush (286 electoral votes/62,040,610 votes) defeated Democrat John F. Kerry (251 electoral votes/59,028,444 votes). In Massachusetts, Kerry (1,803,800 with 18,195 in Lowell) defeated Bush (1,071,109 with 10,554 in Lowell). Bush’s running mate was Dick Cheney. Kerry’s running mate was John Edwards.

2008 – Barack Obama. Nationally, Barack Obama (365 electoral votes/69,498,516 votes) defeated John McCain (173 electoral votes/59,948,323 votes). In Massachusetts, Obama (1,904,097 with 20,646 in Lowell) defeated McCain (1,108,854 with 10,393 in Lowell). Obama’s running mate was Joseph R. Biden. McCain’s running mate was Sarah Palin.

2012 – Barack Obama. Nationally, Democratic incumbent Barack Obama (332 electoral votes/65,915,795 votes) defeated Republican Mitt Romney (206 electoral votes/60,933,504 votes). In Massachusetts, Obama (1,812,027 with 22,597 in Lowell) defeated Romney (1,114,077 with 10,586 in Lowell). Obama’s running mate was Joseph R. Biden. Romney’s running mate was Paul Ryan.

2016 – Donald J. Trump. Nationally, Republican Donald J. Trump (304 electoral votes/62,984,828 votes) defeated Hillary Clinton (227 electoral votes/65,853,514). In Massachusetts, Clinton (1,995,196 with 23,555 in Lowell) defeated Trump (1,090,893 with 10,584 in Lowell). Trump’s running mate was Mike Pence. Clinton’s running mate was Tim Kaine.

2020 – ??????? – check back Wednesday. Or Thursday. Or whenever.